Plant-derived condensed tannins (CT) exhibit strong bioactivity of antioxidant, immunostimulation and intestinal protection, but with little clues of the mechanism of action. Since CT are consist of catechins (CAs) monomers, e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanostructured materials derived from sustainable sources are of interest as viable alternatives to traditional petroleum-derived sources in membrane applications due to environmental concerns. Here, we present the development of pore size-tunable nanostructured polymer membranes based on a plant-derived material. The membranes were fabricated using a tri-functional amine as the templating core species and a cross-linkable ligand synthesized from rose oil-derived citronellol.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe cornea serves as an essential shield that protects the underlying eye from external conditions, yet it remains highly vulnerable to injuries that could lead to blindness and scarring if not promptly and effectively treated. Excessive inflammatory response constitute the primary cause of pathological corneal injury. This study aimed to develop effective approaches for enabling the functional repair of corneal injuries by combining nanoparticles loaded with anti-inflammatory agents and an injectable oxidized dextran/gelatin/borax hydrogel.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is a severe disease, there are still some non-HIV CM patients with a low risk of therapeutic failure. Recognizing clinical characteristics of low-risk non-HIV-associated CM may enable clinicians to treat non-HIV-associated CM more reasonably. According to the definition of low-risk non-HIV-associated CM in the 2010 Infectious Diseases Society of America guideline, a total of 220 non-HIV CM patients were divided into two groups (Group 1: 35 low-risk patients and Group 2: 185 non-low-risk patients).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCorrection for 'Cross-linkable, phosphobetaine-based, zwitterionic amphiphiles that form lyotropic bicontinuous cubic phases' by Lauren N. Bodkin , , 2023, , 3768-3772, https://doi.org/10.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComput Methods Programs Biomed
August 2023
Background: Lower limb heat exposure (LLHE) is a promising strategy for the daily management of cardiovascular health because of its non-pharmaceutical advantages. To support the application of this strategy in cardiovascular protection, we examined its impact on the global hemodynamic environment.
Methods: Skin blood flow (SBF) of eight locations on the lower limbs was measured before and after LLHE (40 °C and 44 °C) in ten healthy subjects by using a laser Doppler flowmeter.
The design, synthesis, and lyotropic liquid crystal phase behaviour of six cross-linkable, phosphobetaine-based, zwitterionic amphiphiles are described. Two form a Q phase with aq. NHCl solution, giving 3D-nanoporous membrane materials that can be used for water desalination and are not susceptible to ion exchange like traditional ionic analogues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To evaluate the recent practice of design and statistical analysis of ophthalmic randomized clinical trials (RCTs).
Design: Review of 96 ophthalmic RCTs.
Methods: Two authors (R.
The inability to synthesize hierarchical structures with independently tailored nanoscale and mesoscale features limits the discovery of next-generation multifunctional materials. Here we present a predictable molecular self-assembly strategy to craft nanostructured materials with a variety of phase-in-phase hierarchical morphologies. The compositionally anisotropic building blocks employed in the assembly process are formed by multicomponent graft block copolymers containing sequence-defined side chains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanoporous materials relying on supramolecular liquid crystals (LCs) are excellent candidates for size- and charge-selective membranes. However, whether they can be manufactured using printing technologies remained unexplored so far. In this work, we develop a new approach for the fabrication of ordered nanoporous microstructures based on supramolecular LCs using two-photon laser printing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComput Methods Programs Biomed
June 2022
Objective: Sauna bathing (SB) is an important strategy in cardiovascular protection, but there is no mathematical explanation for the reallocation of blood circulation during heat-induced superficial vasodilation. We sought to reveal such reallocation via a simulated hemodynamic model.
Methods: A closed-loop cardiovascular model with a series of electrical parameters was constructed.
Organic solvent-stable membranes exhibiting strong selectivity and high permeance have the potential to transform energy utilization in chemical separation processes. A key goal is developing materials with uniform, well-defined pores at the 1-nm scale, with sizes that can be tuned in small increments with high fidelity. Here, we demonstrate a class of organic solvent-stable nanoporous membranes derived from self-assembled liquid crystal mesophases that display such characteristics and elucidate their transport properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe sodium storage performance of a hard carbon (HC) anode in ether electrolytes exhibits a higher initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) and better rate performance compared to conventional ester electrolytes. However, the mechanism behind faster Na storage kinetics for HC in ether electrolytes remains unclear. Herein, a unique solvated Na and Na co-intercalation mechanism in ether electrolytes is reported using designed monodispersed HC nanospheres.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanostructured materials with precisely defined and water-bicontinuous 1-nm-scale pores are highly sought after as advanced materials for next-generation nanofiltration membranes. While several self-assembled systems appear to satisfy this need, straightforward fabrication of such materials as submicron films with high-fidelity retention of their ordered nanostructure represents a nontrivial challenge. We report the development of a lyotropic liquid crystal mesophase that addresses the aforementioned issue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFT-2 toxin is the most toxic as a type A trichothecenes, which could contaminate grains, especially in wheat and corn. It can cause immune suppression, neurotoxicity, the apoptosis of cells and even induce tumorigenesis. Recent studies have indicated that selenium (Se) have protective effect against mycotoxins-induced toxicity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFT-2 toxin is a member of a class of mycotoxins produced by a variety of Fusarium species under appropriate temperature and humidity conditions and is a common contaminant in food and feedstuffs of cereal origin. Selenium is an indispensable element in animals, regulates a variety of biological functions of the body, and can antagonize metal and mycotoxin poisoning to a certain extent. However, the effect of selenium on kidney injury induced by T-2 toxin has not been reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe hard carbon (HC) has been emerging as one of the most promising anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Incorporation of cations into the HC lattice proved to be effective to regulate their -interlayer spacing with a modified SIB performance. However, the complexity and high cost of current synthetic processes limited its large-scale application in SIBs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeripheral nerve injury (PNI) is a common condition, often resulting from physical nerve injury and trauma. Successful repair of the peripheral nerve is dependent on the regenerative activity of Schwann cells (SCs). Application of SC-like adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) may be a suitable cell-based therapy for PNI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAutophagy, originally found in liver experiments, is a cellular process that degrades damaged organelle or protein aggregation. This process frees cells from various stress states is a cell survival mechanism under stress stimulation. It is now known that dysregulation of autophagy can cause many liver diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough significant advances have been made in synthetic nerve conduits and surgical techniques, complete regeneration following peripheral nerve injury (PNI) remains far from optimized. The repair of PNI is a highly heterogeneous process involving changes in Schwann cell phenotypes, the activation of macrophages, and the reconstruction of the vascular network. At present, the efficacy of MSC-based therapeutic strategies for PNI can be attributed to paracrine secretion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study analyzed the inherent relation between arterial blood mass flow and muscle atrophy of residual limb to provide some necessary information and theoretical support for the clinical rehabilitation of lower limb amputees. Three-dimensional arterial model reconstruction was performed on both intact side and residual limb of a unilateral transfemoral amputee who is the subject. Then hemodynamic calculation was carried out to comparatively analyze the mass flow state at each arterial outlet of both lower extremities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
April 2019
Hard carbon material is one of the candidates with great promise as anode-active material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Here, new types of biomass-derived hard carbons were obtained via one-step carbonization of lotus seedpods at 1000-1400 °C, respectively. The control of carbonization temperature proved to be significant in controlling the lattice characterization of lotus seedpod-derived hard carbon.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
June 2018
Phosphorus-doped hard carbon nanofibers with macroporous structure were successfully synthesized by electrospinning followed by a thermal treatment process using polyacrylonitrile and HPO as carbon and phosphorus precursors, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis reveals that the doped phosphorus atoms can incorporate into the carbon framework and most of them are connecting with carbon atoms to form P-C bond. The (002) plane interlayer spacing was taken from the X-ray diffraction pattern, which shows a large spacing of 3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: MicroRNAs are a class of small regulatory RNAs that modulate a variety of biological processes, including cellular differentiation, apoptosis, metabolism and proliferation. This study aims to explore the effect of miR-34a in hepatocyte proliferation and its potential role in liver regeneration termination.
Methodology/principal Finding: MiR-34a was highly induced after partial hepatectomy.